Container discharge system

ABSTRACT

A CONTAINER DISCHARGE SYSTEM ADAPTED FOR REMOVING HIGH VISCOSITY AND SEMIFLUID MATERIALS FROM CONTAINERS. A SUCTION PUMP IS DISPOSED WITHIN OR HAS A DRAW-OFF TUBE WHICH EXTENDS THROUGH A SHUTOFF VALVE INTO THE INTERIOR OF THE CONTAINER. THE SIDE OF THE VALVE OPPOSITE THE CONTAINER INCLUDES A THREADED MEMBER AND AN APERTURED CAP THREADABLY ENGAGING THE MEMBER. THE APERTURE IS ALIGNED WITH THE BORE OF THE VALVE, IS OF EQUAL SIZE, AND THE CAP TOGETHER WITH THE END FACE OF THE THREADED MEMBER DEFINES A GLAND INTO WHICH A GASKET CAN BE PLACED. TO PERMIT INSERTION OF THE DRAW-OFF TUBE, THE BORE OF A FLOW-CONTROL MEMBER OF THE VALVE HAS A LIKE DIAMETER AS THE BORE AND THE THREADED MEMBER AND THE APERTURE IN THE CAP, ALL OF THEM BEING SUFFICIENT TO PERMIT PASSAGE OF THE DRAW-OFF TUBE. COMPRESSION OF THE GASKET IN THE GLAND SEALS THE EXTERIOR OF THE DRAW-OFF TUBE AND PREVENTS LEAKAGE OR SEEPAGE OF THE MATERIAL FROM THE CONTAINER PAST THE ANNULAR GAP BETWEEN THE BORE IN THE THREADED MEMBER AND THE DRAW-OFF TUBE TO THE EXTERIOR. A CLOSURE PLATE IS PROVIDED TO BE INSERTED BETWEEN THE END FACE OF THE THREADED MEMBER AND THE CAP WHILE NO MATERIAL IS BEING REMOVED FROM THE CONTAINER TO PROTECT THE INTERIOR OF THE VALVE FROM CONTAMINATION.

United States Patent [72] Inventor Clarence B. Coleman Oakland, Calif. [21] Appl. No. 733,975 [22] Filed June 3, 1968 [45] Patented June 28, 1971 [73] Assignee Fabricated Metals, Inc.

[54] CONTAINER DISCHARGE SYSTEM 10 Claims, 6 Drawing Figs.

[52] 11.8. C1 137/577.5 [51] Int. Cl B67d 5/06 [50] Field of Search 137/565, 577.5, 577; 25 1/315, 149.4; 285/90, 354; 251/144 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,367,623 2/1968 Piel 251/317X 904,673 11/1908 Bideker.. 285/90X 1,834,581 12/1931 Ferrell 285/354X 1,845,736 2/1932 Anderson 251/144 2,329,876 9/1943 Castellano..... 285/90 2,353,530 7/1944 Walker 137/5775 3,198,477 8/1965 Allenbaugh 251/315X Primary Examiner-M. Cary Nelson Assistant Examiner-R. B. Rothman Attorney-Warren, Rubin, Brucker and Chickering ABSTRACT: A container discharge system adapted for removing high viscosity and semifluid materials from containers. A suction pump is disposed within or has a draw-off tube which extends through a shutoff valve into the interior of the container. The side of the valve opposite the container includes a threaded member and an apertured cap threadably engaging the member. The aperture is aligned with the bore of the valve, is of equal size, and the cap together with the end face of the threaded member defines a gland into which a gasket can be placed. To permit insertion of the draw-off tube, the bore of a flowcontrol member of the valve has a like diameter as the bore and the threaded member and the aperture in the cap, all of them being sufficient to permit passage of the draw-off tube. Compression of the gasket in the gland seals the exterior of the draw-off tube and prevents leakage or seepage of the material from the container past the annular gap between the bore in the threaded member and the drawoff tube to the exterior. A closure plate is provided to be inserted between the end face of the threaded member and the cap while nomaterial is being removed from the container to protect the interior of the valve from contamination.

PATENTED M28 1971 3,587,637

sum 1 OF 2 INVENTOR.

CLARENCE B. COLEMAN BY m ATTORNEYS 1 CONTAINER DISCHARGE SYSTEM BACKGROUND or THE INVENTION:

High viscosity and semifluid materials which must be removed from containers or storage tanks frequently require the insertion of a so-called draw-off tube" to reduce the time required for the removal of the material and/or to enable the removal. The outer end of the draw-off tube is connected with a suction pump and with suitable conduits to transport the material to the desired location.

To prevent the loss of material while the draw-ofl' tube and the pump are removed from the container, say during storage or transportation of the latter, it is, therefore, necessaryto provide a shutoff valve. Most conveniently'the valve is a ball valve which requires substantially less space than other types of valves and which can be conveniently operated even in the limited space available adjacent bottoms of storage containers. To permit the insertion of the draw-off tube past the ball of the valve, it is first of all necessary todimension the passage through the ball so that it permits passageof the tube. In conventional ball valves, this requires theselection of a valve having a relatively large nominal size because, particularly in the smaller sizes of ball valves, the passage clearance through the ball is less than the clearance of the adjacent end flanges of the valve. Since there is a clearance between the exterior of the draw-off tube and the interior walls of the valve passages through the ball and the end flanges, it is necessary to provide a seal preventing the escape of materialrduring its removal from the tank.

Available prior art valves are not adapted for such use, do not provide for a good seal during operation, particularly if the bore diameter of the end flanges is less than that of. the ball passage, and they are relatively cumbersome to handle. As a result thereof, spillage is frequent and substantial time is wasted during the insertion of the draw-off tube and its sealing with the valve body. Both are relatively costly.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a discharge system for removing nonsolid, high viscosity materials from storagecontainers defined by walls for storing the material and having an aperture for removing the material therefrom. Briefly, the system includes transport means in flow communication with the container for transporting the material to a location remote from the container. Valve means in flow communication with the aperture are provided for preventing loss of material while the material is stored in the container. The valve means include a threaded member on the side of the valve opposite the container. Coupling means threadably engage the threaded member and include an aperture aligned with a bore in the threaded member. A gasket is disposed between the coupling means and the valve to prevent the escape of material to the exterior of the valveto prevent the escape of material tovthe exterior of the valve while the material is being removed from the container. The bore, the aperture and a bore in a shutoff member of the valve means have like diameters to enable the seal tight coupling of the transport means with the valve means and the container, and for enabling the insertion of the transport means past the valve means into the interior of the container.

In the presently preferred embodiment of this invention, means are also provided for sealing interior portions of the valve means from the exterior when the transport means are disconnected.

The coupling means are formed to define an aperture cap and, together with an end face of the threaded member, a gland mounting an annular gasket ring. The cap can be threaded toward the threaded member of the valve means to reduce the width of the gland, compress the annular gasket ring to project it into the passageway defined by the bores of the valve and the aperture and the cap, and engage it with the exterior surface of a draw-off tube of the transport means.

This discharge system, and particularly the valve together with the end cap, provide a simple, rugged and inexpensive means for inserting a draw-off tube of a suction pump into the interior of the container and for sealing the tube to the shutoff valve to prevent leaks and seepages of the material in the container. The valve, moreover, permits the connection of other transport means such as a hose, to the valve in a seal-tight manner. In use, the connection is conveniently and quickly made, thereby saving valuable time of operating and supervising personnel.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of the storage container provided with a shutoff valve constructed according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is ,an enlarged fragmentary side elevational view of the shutoff valve shown in FIG. 1 and a suction pump connected therewith;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary, side elevational view, similar to FIG. 2, with parts in section, of the shutoff valve;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary, side elevational view, in section, of the end of the valve opposite the container;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 and showing the valve connected to a hose coupling; and

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary view, partially in section of a quick disconnect swivel hose coupling connected with the valve.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to FIG. 1, a storage container 10 holding fluid material which may be of high viscosity rests on a-support structure 12 defined by downwardly extending legs 14 and fork channels 16. The container has upright sidewalls 18,21 top end plate 20 provided with an access opening closed by a barrel cover 22 and a preferably frustoconical bottom 24 defined by angularly inclined bottom plates 26. The storage container may of course, have other configurations, the configuration of the container is of no importance to the present invention. For example, it may be cylindrical, prismatic, etc. or its bottom may be flat.

A discharge pipe 28 projects horizontally outward away from one of the bottom plates 26 and communicates with the interior of the container through an aperture 30 (shown in FIG. 2). The free end of the discharge pipe has a mounting flange 32 to which a shutoff valve 34 is secured by a plurality of bolts 36 (shown in FIG. 2).

Referring to FIG. 2, shutoff valve 34 is arranged so that it is disposed vertically above one of the fork channels 16. Avalve support member 36 engages the periphery of a valve body 40, is maintained in position by bolts 36, and rests on the upper surface of the fork channels. The valve and the discharge pipe are thereby supported and high stresses in the joint between the discharge pipe and the bottom plate adjacent aperture 30 are prevented.

REferring to FIG. 3, valve 34 is preferably a ball valve having a shutoff member or ball 42 rotatably mounted in the valve body 40. A handle 44 is secured to a shaft 46 projecting to the exterior of the valve body and having its interior end connected withthe ball so that rotation of the handle causes a like rotation of the ball. A first flange 48 defines the side of the valve facing storage container 10 and a second flange 50, constructed integrally with a threaded member 52, defines the side of the valve opposite the container. Bolts 36 are tightened and bias the valve flanges toward the valve body and the first flange into engagement with mounting flange 32 on discharge pipe 28. A gasket 54 is positioned intermediate first flange-48 and mounting flange 32 prevent leakage of the fluid material between the two flanges.

Annular seal rings 56 are positioned adjacent each of the flanges 48 and 50 and seal valve ball 42 to prevent leakage of fluid material into the interior of valve body 40 through gaps between the ball and the flanges. A sealed passage 58 thereby extends throughout the length of the valve. A bore 60 in the threaded member 52 has a like diameter as the bore in the valve ball and terminates at an end face 62 of the member.

External threads 64 of the threaded member 52 are provided to engage internal threads 66 of an end cap 68 having a generally U-shaped cross section and an aperture 70 of a diameter identical to that of bore 60. The end cap includes radially outwardly extending teeth 72 to provide a grip for threading it onto the threaded member. An annular groove 74 on the periphery of the end cap slideably mounts a retainer ring 76 which is connected with a chain 78 secured to the second end flange 50 to prevent the accidental loss of the cap when it is disengaged from the threaded member.

An axially oriented lock screw 80 is radially displaced from the axis of aperture 70 and threaded into end cap 68. The face of the second flange 50 includes one or more indentations 82 (shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and which can be engaged by the lock screw when the end cap is threaded onto member 52 to thereby lock the end cap to the member and prevent relative movement between the end cap and the threaded member.

During storage of the material in the container 10, valve 34 is closed to seal the interior of the container and the discharge pipe 28 from the exterior and to prevent leakages. A seal disc 84 is placed adjacent an interior side 86 of the end cap so that it covers aperture 70. Preferably, the seal disc is constructed of a flexible, resilient material such as plastic. The end cap is threaded onto the threaded member 52 until the seal disc is compressed between end face 62 of the threaded member and the interior side 86 of the cap, thereby preventing contamination of the interior of valve 34. The end cap can be locked to the valve by setting lock screw 80 as described above.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 4, material is removed from the container by first decoupling end cap 68 from threaded member 52 and removing seal disc 84. Next, an annular gasket ring 88 is placed adjacent the interior side 86 of the end cap and the latter is again threaded onto member 52. The interior side and end face 62 of the threaded member now define an annular gland 90 in which the gasket ring, preferably a rubber O-ring, is disposed. A suction pump 92 has a cylindrical drawoff tube 94 aligned with aperture 70 in the end cap inserted through the aperture into bore 60 until its end is adjacent valve ball 42. In the alternative the suction pump may be disposed within the draw-off tube (not shown) in which case the pump may extend partially or wholly past the valve ball and into discharge pipe 28. The end cap is now rotated an additional amount to narrow the width of gland 90 and compress gasket ring 88 so that it projects into passage 58 and engages the exterior of the draw-off tube. This seals the annular gap between the exterior of the draw-off tube and the interior wall of the threaded member defining bore 60. Valve 34 is opened and the draw-off tube is slideably moved past valve ball 42, discharge pipe 28 and into the interior of storage container 10. If desired, the end cap can be tightened an additional amount to increase the seal between the draw-off tube and the gasket ring 88, particularly if a hydrostatic head is experienced, and the end cap may be locked in position with lock screw 80. The other end of the suction pump is connected with suitable conduits leading to the location to which the material from the container is to be transported. Pump 92 is energized to withdraw the material from the interior of the container and transport it to the desired location.

Upon termination of the discharge operation, the abovedescribed steps for inserting the draw-off tube into the container are reversed to disconnect thesuction pump from the shutoff valve and prevent leakage of material that may remain in the bottom of the container. The passage 58 of the shutoff valve is then closed with seal disc 84 and the container may again be filled with new material for storing or transporting it. The interior of the shutoff valve remains protected from contamination.

Referring to FIG. 5, there is illustrated the use of the present invention for connecting tubular members other than a drawoff tube with the shutoff valve 34 in a seal-tight manner. A hose coupling 96 includes a radially outward extending flange 98 adjacent its one end and is inserted through aperture 70 in the end cap so that the cylindrical portion of the coupling projects past the end cap and the radially outwardly extending flange of the hose coupling is disposed adjacent interior side 86. The annular gasket ring 88 is placed adjacent the flange on the coupling and the end cap is threaded onto the member 52. After gland has been sufficiently narrowed so that the flange on the hose coupling compresses the gasket ring against end face 62 of the threaded member, a seal is established which prevents leakage of fluid material. A flexiblehose, not shown in FIG. 5, is then secured to the projecting cylindrical portion of hose coupling 96.

Referring now to FIG. 6, a quick connect and disconnect swivel hose fitting 100 is connected and sealed to threaded member 52 and end cap 68 in the same manner in which hose coupling 96, shown in FIG. 5 is connected to the threaded member and the end cap. A quick release clamp 104 secures a flexible distribution hose 106, leading to a location to which the material from the container is to be transported to a projecting end 102 of the hose fitting. This embodiment enables the connection of the distribution hose to the shutoff valve 34 with a minimum of effort and time while it maintains a positive seal and prevents spillage of the material from the container.

The embodiments of this invention shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 are particularly well adapted for use with low viscosity fluids which do not need a suction pump to remove them from the container and which may, for example, be drained by gravity only. It further illustrates the utility of the drainage system of this invention and its adaptability to remove all commonly encountered nonsolid materials from a closed container.

Variations and alterations may, of course, be preformed on the drainage system of this invention and particularly on the construction of the shutoff valve and the end cap. For example, it may be desireable to provide the discharge pipe with a pipe thread instead of with a mounting flange. In such an instance, the first flange 48 of the valve 34 facing the container 10 would be provided with a threaded member (not shown in the drawings) substantially identical to the threaded member 52 which engages the threads in the discharge pipe. Other modifications may, of course, be performed to adapt the shutoff valve and end cap to other applications that may be encountered in the field.

lclaim:

1. Apparatus for storing nonsolid materials, comprising:

a. a container defined by walls for storing the material and having an opening for removing the material from the container;

b. valve means in flow communication with said opening for preventing loss of material while the material is being stored, the valve means including a threaded member on a side of the valve opposite the container;

c. coupling means, including a gasket, threadably engaging the threaded member and having an aperture aligned with a bore in the threaded member, wherein said bore, the aperture and a passageway in a shutoff member of the valve means have like diameters; and

d. transport means in flow communication with the container for transporting materials being removed to a location remote from the container, the transport means being engaged by said gasket to provide a seal-tight connection between the transport means, the threaded member, and the coupling means, wherein the transport means includes a draw-off tube extending through the coupling means past the valve means.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an end face of the threaded member and the coupling means define an annular gland of a variable width communicating with the passage defined by said bore, passageway and aperture, and wherein the gasket includes an annular ring disposed in the gland and projecting into the passage at least when the gland is narrowed.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said valve means is engaged and supported by a valve support member formed by a portion of a support structure for said container.

4. Apparatus according to claim 2, including means intermediate the coupling means and the valve means for sealing interior portions of the valve means from the exterior when the transport means are disconnected.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4, including disengageable locking means for preventing relative movement between the coupling means and the valve means.

6. Apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the coupling means and the threaded member are formed to permit the simultaneous positioning in the annular gland of the annular ring and a radially oriented flange of the transport means.

7. In a drainage system for storage containers having a drain pipe communicating with the interior of the container, mounting means on a free end of a drain pipe, and means for transporting materials being removed from the container to a location remote from the drain pipe, the improvement comprising:

a ball valve having one end mounted to the mounting means and another free end defined by a threaded member having a bore communicating with the drain pipe when the valve is in its open position;

gasket means adjacent the free end of the threaded member;

coupling means formed to engage the threaded member and the gasket means for sealing of the valve from its exterior and preventing leakage of a material, the coupling means having an aperture aligned with the bore of the member;

.said means for transporting material including a tube extending from the exterior past the valve into the drain pipe; and

said aperture, said bore and a passageway through said ball valve having like diameters to permit passage of said means for transporting material into the drain pipe.

8. Apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the gasket means comprise a disc covering said aperture and disposed intermediate an end face of the threaded member and an interior side of the coupling means.

9. Apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the threaded member and the coupling means are, respectively, externally and internally threaded, the aperture has a diameter equal to a diameter of the bore to form a passage, the member and the coupling means from an annular gland communicating with the passage, and wherein the gasket means includes an annular gasket ring constructed of a resilient material so that upon compression of of the ring in the gland, a portion of the ring projects into the passage.

10. Apparatus according to claim 7, including disengageable locking means for preventing relative movements between the threaded member and the coupling means.

Patent No.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Dated June 28, 1971 Inventofls) Clarence B. Coleman Column 1, line Column 2, line Column 2, line Column 2, line Column 4, line Column 4, line Column 6, line Column 6, line Signed and (SEAL) Attest:

It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

omit entire line.

change "36" to -38-.

change "REferring" to--Referring-.

after "32" insert to.

change "preformed to performed. change "desireable to -desirable--.

change "from" to form delete second "of".

sealed this 11th day of January 1972.

EDNAHD MELETCI'HPJLJR. Attesting Officer ROBERT GOTTSCHALK Acting Commissioner of Patents F ORM PO 1050(10-69) USCOMM-DC 60376-P69 Q U s GOVERNMENT PRINTING ornc: v9 0-356-334 

